Hoàng Đình Tùng nearly made it 2-0 for the hosts, but his close-range finish went slightly wide.

Sông Lam Nghệ An fought back, and they found some threatening chances, though their strikers either could not shoot accurately or their finishes were stopped by goalie talented Bùi Tiến Dũng, the No 1 goalie in the national U23 squad.

Even when Dũng could not do his job, the goal pole denied Văn Đức’s curling shot, which left all Thanh Hoá players behind.

At the post-match briefing, coach Romania Mihail of Thanh Hóa shared his happiness with reporters, saying that the victory was due to his players, especially Văn Bình and Tiến Thành, who played at their peak yesterday. He further said he was pleased to find these two players for the next round.

The Romanian coach noted that Sông Lam Nghệ An had good results when competing on the away fields. They also competed well in the AFC Cup. But in this match, his team had more of a chance, though having only one goal, but it was enough to win and he was satisfied with that.

On the visiting side, coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng said, “I praised the whole team’s spirit. Some players spent a long time on a flight from Jordan to come back home (after taking part in the Asian Cup qualifier last week) after playing in the AFC Cup. They had only one day to recover and might not find their best today. We have not been lucky, as many opportunities could not be converted into goals. It would be good if it finished with a draw.”

Thanh Hóa jumped to No 5 in the ranking with one game to spare, while Sông Lam Nghệ An fell to second from the bottom, with only one point.